Carrier Base

ABSTRACT

An innovative and highly functional new twist on an essential and widely used baby accessory, the Carrier Base, unique design provides its users with a diverse and multi-purpose infant car seat. The Carrier Base is designed to fit comfortably and securely in a standard shopping cart. The product is easily and safely reclinable, offering added comfort for babies. Additionally, the Carrier Base&#39;s proprietary features enable it to offer handy storage space for other necessary items.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to child restraints and, moreparticularly, to a base configured to rotate and adjust the position ofan infant carrier. Currently, safety seats and infant carriers are inwide use. Unfortunately, known infant carriers and their bases, areunable to accommodate varying inclination while attached to hostapparatus so that the carrier adjusts relative to the base and the baseadjusts relative to the host apparatus.

As can be seen, there is a need for a base that supports an infantcarriers that accommodates various inclinations while attached to hostapparatus so that the carrier adjusts relative to the base and the baseadjusts relative to the host apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 3 is a detailed view of an exemplary embodiment of the interlockingbracket of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplatedmodes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. Thedescription is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merelyfor the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention,since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a carrier base.The carrier base may include a carrier pivotably coupled to a base. Thebase may be rotatably mounted a plurality of interlocking bracket. Theinterlocking brackets may be releasably attach to a host apparatus sothat the base may be pivotably adjusted relative to the host apparatus.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 3, the present invention may include acarrier base 10. The carrier base 10 may include a carrier 20, a base 30and a plurality of interlocking brackets 40.

The carrier 20 may include a carrier surface 22, a base surface 24, aplurality of carrier sidewalls 26 extending upwardly from a plurality ofsides of the carrier surface 22, a plurality of base sidewalls 28extending upwardly from a plurality of sides of the base surface 24 anda release member 27 coupled to the plurality of base sidewalls 28. Incertain embodiments, the carrier sidewalls 26 may form pockets 25 forreceiving items. The plurality of base sidewalls 28 may form elongateslots 29 for pivotably receiving the base 30.

The base 30 may include a bracket side 32 forming a plurality ofpositioning notches 34 and a plurality of channels 36 formed to receivechannel pins. The channels may be positioned to lie in spaced-apartparallel relation to one another. In certain embodiments, the base mayinclude seat belt grooves 38 for receiving a seat belt.

The plurality of interlocking brackets 40 may include a support bar 42coupled to an interlocking surface 44 and a handle 48. The support bar42 may include at least one channel pin 46 coupled to a flip lock 47.

In certain embodiments, the plurality of interlocking brackets 40 mayinclude a spring-loaded mechanism 50 coupled to the support bar 42. Incertain embodiments, the interlocking surface may be waffle like.

A method of using the present invention may include the following. Thecarrier base 10 disclosed above may be provided. A user may slide bothsides of the base 30 into the elongated slots 29, as shown in FIG. 1.The user may then disengage the release members 27 to pivotably adjustthe carrier 20 relative to the base 20. The user may then secure thecarrier 30 to the base 30 by urging the release members 27 to engage thepositioning notches 34 needed to hold the carrier 20 at a desiredinclination. The user may use the carrier base 10 as a base for aninfant child seat and as the infant child seat itself. In certainembodiments, the carrier base 10 will be releasably attached to avehicle seat, wherein a seat belt may be received to stabilize thecarrier base 10.

In certain embodiments, the user may attach the base 30 to a hostapparatus, such as a shopping or the like, by disengaging the flip locks47 on the interlocking bracket 40 and then using the handle 48 to slidethe interlocking bracket 40 along the plurality of channels 36. The usermay then mount the interlocking surface 44 to the host apparatus. Theuser may then engage the flip locks 47 to releasably attach the base 30to the host apparatus.

In an alternate embodiment, the user may mount the interlocking surface44 to the host apparatus. The user may then utilize at least one handle48 to urge the base 30 to rotate by sliding the interlocking bracket 40channel pins 46 within the plurality of channels 36.

In certain embodiments, a spring-loaded mechanism 50 may act to bias thesupport bar 42 channel pins 46 within the channels 36 to hold thecarrier 20 in the locked position.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates toexemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A carrier base comprising: a base for pivotablysupporting a carrier, the base comprising a bracket side forming aplurality of positioning notches and a plurality of channels; a carriercomprising a carrier surface coupled to a plurality of release memberand a base surface having base sidewalls forming elongated slots forpivotably receiving the base, wherein a user can adjust the carrierrelative to the base by disengaging and then engaging the plurality ofrelease members into the positioning notches; and a plurality ofinterlocking brackets rotatably mounted to the base, the interlockingbrackets comprising a interlocking surface, a handle and a plurality ofchannel pins coupled to a support bar, wherein the interlocking surfacereleasably attaches to a host apparatus so that the user can rotate thebase relative to the host apparatus by urging at least one handle sothat the channel pins move within the base channels.